Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA)
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is Rotary’s leadership training program for young people. RYLA participants in District 5300 are high school juniors.
RYLA emphasizes leadership, citizenship, and personal growth, and aims to
- Demonstrate Rotary’s respect and concern for youth
- Provide an effective training experience for selected youth and potential leaders
- Encourage leadership of youth by youth
- Recognize publicly young people who are rendering service to their communities
I cannot say the words “thank you” enough, for being able to let me experience this once in a lifetime opportunity! We’ve spent around 48 hours at RLYA, 48 hours of activities, of labs, lessons, sessions, of meeting and creating lifelong friendships with many others, and 48 hours of finding out more about the world, and what we can do to make it a more prosperous place to live in. We all came excited and anxious as to what we were getting into, and we all left 48 hours later, feeling inspired, ready, prepared, to actually TAKE ACTION, and make change. Who knew what 48 hours can do?
There were many times in my life where I have experienced the feeling of being motivated, inspired, and influenced to be a leader and take what I have learned and teach it to others. But there has never been an experience that has impacted me so greatly and dearly, as to that of the RYLA 5300 DISTRICT program.
I treasure every moment I’ve spent there, every person I have met, and my goal, starting now, is to show others what I have learned, share the vision that I see. There are many who say they are “inspired” after coming back from a leadership retreat, and they may stay motivated for a period of time, but eventually, it wears off. For me, I hope to keep the inspiration, keep the mindset, and keep dreaming.
Thank you Thank you THANK YOU, RYLA, for making me open my eyes onto a bigger and greater world other than our own!
Jennifer – what a beautiful comment you have written. I am so happy that you feel this way about your RYLA experience. Clearly those of us “adults” feel the same way and know that the future is in great hands. I hope you will become a Rotarian yourself, remember Interact and Rotaract when you get to college and then Rotary. You too can then be a Facilitator at RYLA and inspire other high school juniors. Together we can all change the world for the better. Thank you for attending and participating. Debbie Harris, Senior Counselor Advisor